Ive been reading for years to not take anti-inflammatory drugs because of their negative effect on muscle growth, and this new study says opposite.

"Taking daily recommended dosages of ibuprofen and acetaminophen caused a substantially greater increase over placebo in the amount of quadrice
ps muscle mass and muscle strength gained during three months of regular weight lifting, in a study by physiologists at the Human Performance Laboratory, Ball State University."

Dr. Chad Carroll, a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Todd Trappe, reported study results at Experimental Biology 2008 in San Diego on April 6. His presentation was part of the scientific program of the American Physiological Society (APS).

Thirty-six men and women, between 60 and 78 years of age (average age 65), were randomly assigned to daily dosages of either ibuprofen (such as that in Advil), acetaminophen (such as that in Tylenol), or a placebo. The dosages were identical to those recommended by the manufacturers and were selected to most closely mimic what chronic users of these medicines were likely to be taking. Neither the volunteers nor the scientists knew who was receiving which treatment until the end of the study.

All subjects participated in three months of weight training, 15-20 minute sessions conducted in the Human Performance Laboratory three times per week. The researchers knew from their own and other studies that training at this intensity and for this time period would significantly increase muscle mass and strength. They expected the placebo group to show such increases, as its members did, but they were surprised to find that the groups using either ibuprofen or acetaminophen did even better. An earlier study from the laboratory, measuring muscle metabolism (or more precisely, muscle protein synthesis, the mechanism through which new protein is added to muscle), had looked at changes over a 24 hour period. This “acute” study found that both ibuprofen and acetaminophen had a negative impact, by blocking a specific enzyme cyclooxygenase, commonly referred to as COX.

But that study looked at only one day. Over three months, says Dr. Trappe, the chronic consumption of ibuprofen or acetaminophen during resistance training appears to have induced intramuscular changes that enhance the metabolic response to resistance exercise, allowing the body to add substantially more new protein to muscle.

The amount of change was measured in quadricep muscles using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), the gold standard for determining muscle mass. The researchers now are conducting assays of muscle biopsies taken before and after the three-month period of resistance training, in order to understand the metabolic mechanism of the positive effects of ibuprofen and acetaminophen.

One of the foci of Ball State’s Human Performance Laboratory is the adaptation of the elderly to exercise. Another is the loss of muscle mass that takes place when astronauts are exposed to long-term weightlessness. This work has implications for both groups, says Dr. Trappe.

this is very interesting yet i would like to see this study done on healthy 20-35 year old trained athletes to see if the results are the same as on a group of senior citizens....

this makes me wonder about archiodonic acid supplements like the iforce maxout that are supposed to build muscle by increasing inflammation. so which is it do we want to increase or decrease inflamation? seems very contridictory.

this is very interesting yet i would like to see this study done on healthy 20-35 year old trained athletes to see if the results are the same as on a group of senior citizens....

this makes me wonder about archiodonic acid supplements like the iforce maxout that are supposed to build muscle by increasing inflammation. so which is it do we want to increase or decrease inflamation? seems very contridictory.

Yes i know, it seem that the body needs to be in balance.

Or it could be, that ibuprofen initially lowers prostalagins, but then later makes them more prominent in the body

like it think ive read in the past that it lower protein synthesis for 30 minutes, but what happens after 30 minutes? Maybe an increase in protein synthesis.

i just wonder if it is something as simple as the pain relieving properties of the drug allowing the old folks to push themselves a little harder in the workout which is resulting in an increase in muscle mass which overcomes the negative effects of the drug, or if we are really on to something more complex going on within the body.

Google is great, found the article. It was Muscle & Fitness, May 2008. I can't post a link to it because I don't have the posting experience to do so. I also found a couple of older medical studies in the Google results that support the statement that NSAIDs have a negative affect on protein synthesis. Interesting reading anyway....

Its not that it holds back protein sythn. it seems. But there is a different interaction they are trying to determine. Also, let me mind you NSAIDs are not good on cycle.
If Trauma was around he'd probably have some good input on this topic.

I used to take Advil and that was it. I noticed if i took it around workout time i could get a pump(obviously) but i had to of been still destroying muscle. If i took it after i felt flat...duh. But then when i did take it on certain days i felt full easily. I played around with it for about 2-3 weeks are rec. dose of lower just cause for awhile and even now it was a big deal.

Its not that it holds back protein sythn. it seems. But there is a different interaction they are trying to determine. Also, let me mind you NSAIDs are not good on cycle.
If Trauma was around he'd probably have some good input on this topic.

I used to take Advil and that was it. I noticed if i took it around workout time i could get a pump(obviously) but i had to of been still destroying muscle. If i took it after i felt flat...duh. But then when i did take it on certain days i felt full easily. I played around with it for about 2-3 weeks are rec. dose of lower just cause for awhile and even now it was a big deal.

nice observations. I dont think it has the potential to destroy muscle. Just theoretically stunt future muscle growth.

Could be the nsaids simply allow the seniors to work out. Without the drugs, they may have too much pain to work out, or they could simply hurt too much to lift more. With the drugs, they feel less pain and are able to lift more. This all leads to more growth.

So my suggestion to anyone thinkn bout taking ibu-motrin-asprin etc as a daily thing would be to re consider.
Unless of course your a 60+ year old guy that is in pain
but then again by the time i`m 60+ IF I even make it that far liftn weights would not even be on my list of things to do